Darien, CT- In late May of 2014, The Darien Police Department received an embezzlement complaint involving an employee at the National Veteran Services Fund (N.V.S.F.). The President of the organization stated that irregularities in the company’s financial statements were discovered by an accounting firm and were brought to his attention. It was quickly determined that the organization’s bookkeeper, Cynthia Tanner, had been utilizing the organization’s funds for personal use. An initial estimation was that Tanner had embezzled over eight hundred and thirty thousand dollars $830,000.00) from the organization’s checking account alone, over the past five years. N.V.S.F. is a non-profit organization based in Darien which accepts donations to assist veterans and their families across the country.

Cynthia Tanner had been employed by N.V.S.F. since 2008. Her responsibilities included payroll and the disbursement of funds to the charity’s clients. Through investigation it was determined that not only was Tanner writing unauthorized checks to herself, but that she was writing numerous checks to relatives also drawing off of the N.V.S.F. accounts.

In 2013 alone, Tanner wrote 135 unauthorized checks for over $185,000.00 to herself and to her family members. According to the financial ledger that Tanner fabricated, these checks were written to veterans or clients of the N.V.S.F. It was also determined that Tanner was making electronic payments for her auto-loans and was using the company credit cards for personal expenses such as airfare, vacations, and internet purchases.

After an extensive investigation it was determined probable cause existed substantiating that Cynthia Tanner did in fact write the unauthorized checks. A warrant was then secured for Tanner’s arrest solely for the checks she wrote in 2013. On June 2, 2014 Tanner turned herself in to the Darien Police Department. Tanner is charged with Larceny 1st Degree which is a Class B Felony in the State of Connecticut. She is being held on a $250,000.00 court set bond and will be arraigned in Stamford Superior Court later today. Further arrest warrants are anticipated.